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So, I've been in contact with them recently through email exchanges. They said that my emails were getting sent to the spam folder... Anyways, outside of the subscription they I think we all received, I got other prizes that include Slugline and Screenwriter's Bible. Cool, but obviously, we're in this for the meetings/cash prize, more so meetings. Anytime I write an email about that, they seem to not respond. I was thinking about stopping by their office in Chicago, but I have this assuring feeling that it's some rundown building where their offices may not exist. From what it sounds like, it sounds pretty scamish, but wouldn't make sense if they put in this effort to "read" contestants scripts and choose real winners. Not sure how to feel. Hopefully all of you have other potential builders for your writing career, and use your winning scripts and to build off your success through this so called, "screenwriting contest". It sucks, and hopefully they're just really disorganized and scrambling to get their crap together, but right now, I don't think they have the benefit of the doubt. Keep writing though!

I was very excited to be one of the finalists. If you go to their website they promise a lot of prizes for the winners and finalists including personal introductions to industry people. Sadly all I got from them was an email notifying me he results were in and an offer to buy a trophy from them for $150!

They don't respond to emails unless it's about entering their contest. I am afraid this one is a scam or a grossly mismanaged contest. Either way I am staying away from it from now on.

Yup, definitely a scam. As a finalist I've been trying to get a hold of them with no luck. Even the phone number listed here is out of service now. Should have known when they tried to pawn off the 'extra' pdf for thirty dollars. What i don't get is there are a lot cleaner ways to pull something like this and get away with it. Why not just make up the winners names so no comes looking for their prizes? maybe because they are associated with filmfreeway? I don't have the slightest idea. Still, really disappointing.

I placed in the quarter-finals in 2013 nothing great I know. But I feel sorry for the others who were finalists. I mean come on giving $5000 to the overall winner only and nothing to the 2nd place or 3rd place or finalists is really stingy. Especially for a contest run by American Zoetrope film company owned by Francis Ford Coppola. I think Francis can afford to raise the prize money and divide the prize money amongst the finalists. That's not asking for money out of his pocket the contest makes enough profit. Really shocking to know that a film contest is run so poorly by such a well respected film pioneer company.

Ground control to major SCAM. I entered giving them a chance since they were a new contest. I was deceived by their website. They have been collecting entry fees for the 2015 contest before the 2014 contest is over. They state they have a quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds and they announce all winners from all rounds in one month after the final deadline entry. I emailed with them and I traced their company email address to Las Vegas. Looks pretty shady to me. As others mentioned here that they think they were scammed. This con artists shouldn't get away with good people's money. Us complaining on forums only gets the word out to a few people who take the time to to their research. We should file a class action law suit.

Ok we all know about Nicholl. If you place high in this contest you have a great chance of making in the industry. I entered and no cigar. I was optimistic cause this is suppose to be a professionally run contest and your script will be read by someone interested in your genre as they claim. I believe in my opinion that this contest has gotten to be for their own good because they are part of the Academy Awards. So they are the Hollywood machine now. I wish they would remember where they started with their 1st contest with only a hundred script entries. Really who cares about a fellowship that's just an apprenticeship for a writer. Most writers are struggling artists and could use cash immediately especially if placing high in the hardest script contest in the world. Not have to be put to work to get their money that they won. That is called a job and getting paid for your time and work. So the machine can get away with it cause they are so significant. My point is there should be other contests that should be better and able to compete with nicholl to give writers a successfull career if placed high in their contest. There shouldn't be a monopoly.

This appears to be a legitmate contest. I liked that I received free feedback with my early entry submission. The script reader I can tell actually took the time and read my script for the 1st round, which us writers are always skeptical how much of our scripts ever are read and get a fair shake. The feedback was good I took the criticism with a grain of salt. What I agreed with I changed and what I didn't agree with I didn't change. But what I didn't like is they asked if I wanted to pay additonal money to resubmit a revised version. So I felt like if I didn't pay my script would not have a good chance to make it ot the next round, which it didn't. Maybe my script wasn't good enough who knows can only guess.

Also, I entered this contest electronically by emailing my script in PDF to the email address on the website. I had no problems with this contest. Not in submitting my script, nor in corresponding with the coordinator.

Acclaim was one of the first screenwriting competitions I entered, and it was a very positive experience. My TV pilot, Pound for Pound, was the top finalist for the Spring/Summer 2013 competition. I received all of the prizes promised by Acclaim on its website as well as a reading request from a well-respected talent manager in LA. I've entered multiple screenwriting contests since Acclaim, and I can say without reservation that Acclaim is legit and worth your money.

Before and after winning, I corresponded by email with the contest coordinator, Frank Drouzas. He was not only quick to respond, but his responses were substantive and thoughtful. He also provided me with feedback for free about my script after the competition ended and gave me some helpful tips about how to improve it. Again, this is above and beyond, and greatly appreciated.

Terrific notes I received. All about nailing TONE and setting the pace for your entire screenplay. Best bang for the buck I've received in a long time. I thank them so much for centering the story and setting me up for success.

My partner, Ronald Marchand and I have entered different contests at different times and this year we entered our script in the Nicholl Fellowships.

Although we didn't make the quarter-finalists, we received a very nice letter from the Director, Greg Beal. It was very encouraging to us as amateur writers. This was just what struggling writers need to carry on.

He told us we received two positive scores from first round readers and it was read twice.

He explained they strive to make the evaluation as objective as possible, it is inherently both a personal and extremely subjective matter.

Although we didn't win, he mentioned it's not necessarily a bearing on our reception in the marketplace. He ventured a prediction that several non-advancing writers will become professional screenwriters in the near future.

We were told to be on the lookout for an email invitation to the Academy Nicholl Fellowships Awards Ceremony in November.

This is a very classy contest and run in a professional manner. They didn't have write and share this with us. We are very appreciative they did.

To all of us who may not win, just remember there are still opportunities out there. We won't stop trying.

This contest is a scam. They have also taken advantage of sponsors who have no idea whats going on in this contest. They do not respond to any emails at all and there certainly will not be any introductions to managers or anyone else who can help a writer. They were taking money from entrants for the 2015 contest before the 2014 was over. Please, all moviebyters, do not throw your money away on this contest. (No matter how nice or professional their website looks)

I too have had no response from the contest as far as what my prizes are and when I would receive them. I have contacted each of the sponsors (listed on their website) individually and been able to collect "prizes" from some of them. They have apologized on behalf of Chicago Screenplay, but that's about it. I doubt there will be "Literary Agency Introductions, Meetings and Consultations" forthcoming.

I have sent several emails to this contest requesting info about the finalist's prizes and other general questions but never hear anything back. If you contact them about submitting to their contest, they get back to you in five minutes. I believe this contest is a scam and would advise against entering.

Wildsound is a new screenplay writers best friend - they are always upbest and positive, but also constructive. I won a 1st scene reading by real actors and not only enjoyed it but found it useful for seeing tone and pace issues. The monthly schedule and fast feedback turn around is a huge help when one is continually editing and coming up with new (and better?) drafts. Thanks you Matthew!

This is an excellent contest that gives useful feedback. It can be difficult to get honest, unbiased critique that can help make your material better, but Wildsound points out what you're doing well and what can be improved. They are fast, friendly, and professional. I will definitely enter again in the future.

It has come to our attention that the address that was that was on the creative world website for the last two years was incorrect. We entered our script early this year,dated May 27th, 2014 and mailed it to the PO Box 106159 listed specifically stated on the form. I have copies to back this statement up. I have received communication from the company stating that the address is two years old. This might explain why we didn't make the cut last year. This isn't sour grapes, it tells me our script never made it there. The only reason we know they didn't get it this year, is that the post office returned it to us after two months stating it was un-deliverable as addressed, no forwarding address.

We are writing this today to let others who mailed their scripts to Creative World know of the problem. We have noted that a new mailing address is currently posted now but that did not help the problem earlier. If you mailed an entry and didn't hear back, it may have because the PO Box 106159 listed is not the mailing address and can't be forwarded.

Excellent feedback. It was obvious the readers had read my scripts entirely (unlike other competitions). Comments were fair and helpful. I intend submitting all my scripts through Bluecat in the future, just for the critiquing alone.

I wish to God I had read the old user comments before I did the unthinkable. I was in a rush and didn't check it out properly. I assumed that a big company seeking to be innovative would have integrity. More fool me. At least they can't gag me from saying what I think of them and their exploitative practices. Don't make the same mistake as me, people. Run for the hills!

The contest comments are all FAKE. If any writer actually took the time to read the comments and research this contest on MovieBytes prior to entering they would know that this contest is a scam. It is SO obvious that the contest owners created fake name accounts and submitted their own comment reviews falsely to hype up and advertise their own contest to get writers to submit their scripts. 1) The commentators all have NO profile. 2) Read the comments for example by Ava Blossom “First time screenwriter here, so I had a few questions about the contest and the process of entering. The representative I spoke with via email was so pleasant and helpful. I will definitely submit again next year too.” No real screenwriter would be willing already to submit their work for a contest the following year with the current year still in progress not even knowing the results of the contest and how it was run and especially just from an email correspondence. Ava Blossom is as fake as a plastic Christmas tree and Pamela Anderson’s boobs. The report card is fake no way a 1st time screenplay contest can have 5 stars for significance. The contest hasn’t even been around to help any writer with their careers. The contest hasn’t even finished announcing their first time winners and someone gave a 5 star for significance. Impossible that anyone could of landed representation or a sale of their work from a contest that hasn’t even announced their winners yet. The report card is fake again reviewed falsely by the owners of the contest to bait writers to submit into their contest.

Other indications that this contest is a scam: 1) They were accepting payment and submissions for their 2015 contest before their 2014 contest was even finished. 2) The judging of the scripts are said to go through a quarter-final, semi-final and final round to determine the winner, but they only announce finalists. They DO NOT announce quarter-finalists or semi-finalists. 3) Their final entry deadline is June 30th and they announce their winners on July 31st. ONE MONTH process ONLY to read and judge all their script submissions that are said to go through a quarter-final and semi-final and final round. There is NO way they read the scripts in multiple rounds. 4) They were accepting payment and submissions for their 2015 contest in June 2014 for a contest they will announce the winners in July 2015. That is 13 months of collecting entry fees but they only dedicate one month to reading scripts to decide their winner! RED ALERT!!! You can see they care about making money much more then finding that academy award winning script.

Avoid this contest like the platonic plague don’t give these crooks your hard earned money and don’t let them cheat you with false hopes of making your dreams come true seeing your script produced and shown on the silverscreen. They are just laughing all the way to the bank having fun spending your money.

There is no better on-the-ball coordinator than Zoe Simmons at the PAGE Awards. Plus, they have a 25,000 Grand Prize; and i think if you make it to the Finals you can upload a revised script for free. Another plus, is they have a very user-friendly, uncluttered website.

I have found this competition so far to be very very challenging but also rewarding as well. Heads up on anyone entering this competition, enter at least a month before the final deadline.

The contest has two initial rounds which gives you feedback within two weeks after submitting. Round 1 relates to first impression, that is, how it looks and round 2 pertains to first 15 pages. If you fail either round, you have the opportunity to resubmit before the final submission date.

At first I found this contest to be really annoying as prior to entering it I was happy in my ignorance. It made me look at my screenplay with fresh eyes and I soon realized my 'golden child' of a screen play was overweight and covered in acne.

Fortunately this contest gave me an opportunity to add a bit more spit and polish to my screenplay. The end result is - I believe - a much better finished product.

I now realize how much money I have wasted entering competitions where my screenplays were poorly formatted or my dozen pages didn't zing. Your screenplay might tell a great story or might have some great twists or might even have the power to make people laugh or cry but it will never ever be read if it does not have the appearance of a great screenplay or grab someone's attention in the first dozen or so pages

I've still got a long way to go before I can comfortably call my self a screenwriter. However, I have covered some miles on that journey by entering this contest.

What's amazing about this contest is that four of the ten winning entries from June have punctuation and/or grammatical errors. You'd expect more from logline winners. The guidelines give excellent tips on writing a clear, concise, compelling logline. I think the judges should revisit those tips before the next contest. Just sayin'.

Hi guys, with all respect to Harold's comment, yes we found a corrupt file. And yes, we emailed him to send an update. Then with more than 3 days to read a handful of screenplays, we judged the final few that needed to be judged. We would never not read that entrant's script and more importantly we would never just blow off a file just because it was corrupted. Many contests do. We do not and we pride ourselves in getting every registrant's work read, even if that happens in the final hours! Hope you'll all join us. We're excited to find the next amazing screenplay!

I entered the WMC 35 and placed 2nd. Overall, not only was their website easy to navigate (thanks to it's recent update) but their feedback to queries is always prompt and comprehensive. It's rare to see a screenwriting competition cater to and embrace the international community as much as WMC. Coming from Singapore where avenues for screenwriting advancements are limited, this applies to me especially. Entering this contest was a good choice. If you have are from the international community and have a script worth sharing, you will agree.

Are these folks back on track? I hear mixed things. I see there was some drama in the past, but love a contest with categories. If any of you won the contest, have you received your prize money? That is, without going to court over it?

More than once my screenwriting has been the beneficiary of the feedback I've received from WILDsound readers, regardless if I reached the finals or won one of their contests. In fact, their feedback improved some of my scripts to the point that it probably helped them place in other contests! Matthew Toffolo, the founder of WILDsound, is getting the word out online about my June 2014 win (for CAGEY in the short category) and has posted video of an actors' read-through of the script and my answers to interview questions. I couldn't be more satisfied with the results of this contest.

I was a finalist in this contest last year. Never heard or received anything from them after a few phone calls. Absolutely nothing. It was nice to e a finalist, but that's about all I received-- notification.

Moondance was my first great experience in screenplay contests! A few years back, my first screenplay "A Recipe to Die For" won the Spirit of Moondance Award, which boosted my confidence tremendously! In the following 2 years, I won the Columbine Award and Gaia Award for other submissions to Moondance. I don't know if she still does this, but at the time, Elizabeth English read and reviewed every submission in every single category, single handedly! That's quite a feat! Great job with Moondance, Elizabeth!

I'm so happy I entered my TV spec script into the Wildsound contest. The feedback they gave me was really helpful, and it was clear that the person critiquing my script was familiar with the show I was writing for. Seeing my script performed by actors was very rewarding. I highly recommend this contest to any aspiring screenwriters.

This was the most unprofessional scriptwriting contest I have EVER entered. Paid my money and sent my script. In return, I received an email telling me that I was a finalist. Attached to that email was a message inviting me to attend buy as many as four tickets to the awards dinner for close to $200 each. After a certain date that sum would jump to close to $300 each. Okay, I didn't buy any tickets. No list of finalists posted on the BH Film Festival website mind you. Waited, checked, waited some more. When the list finally appeared my name was NOT on it.
There had been a request on the notification that in order to be considered a finalist I would have to respond that very day with "I agree" in the subject line, agreeing to their terms. I did so -- twice to make sure it went through.
After I realized my name was not on the list of finalists, I sent emails and tried to call. NO RESPONSE. I'm wondering if everyone who was listed and who finally won bought tickets to that pricey awards ceremony. Would like to know.

I've entered this contest in the past based on its reputation here. Acclaim's website was less than perfect and now it's almost inoperative. The 'contact' page doesn't work and apparently you can pay online but can't enter online and can't contact them about it.
Anyone else have recent experience with Acclaim?

My short screenplay "BEFORE THE BOMB" won 3rd place in the 2014 Slamdance Screenplay competition. I attended the event at the WGA in LA and met the wonderful people who run the festival and competition. To summarize my experience: I will be submitting anything I write to this contest. And entering my short films in the Slamdance festival as well. I have already had two shorts accepted, ODD STREETS RUN WEST in 2011 and PROMETHEUS in 2013.

I just received feedback on two of my scripts and found the analysis to be in-depth with excellent comments on what was working and suggestions on areas that needed improvement. They grade the script in ten categories and I recommend going to their site to see what they are all about. Very thorough and helpful.

I entered both monthly and yearly contests. I won for March of 2011 and came in third tn that year's annual contest. The really great part about winning is that Gordon Rogerson, who runs the contest, posts a page for you which you write yourself and can refer others to. It is still posted to this day and he even made changes to it that I requested later on. A very good deal indeed!

Beware of this contest. When entering the contest the rules stated that they would be quarter, semi & finalists results. When I checked back they had removed this and only mentioned the winning script. Also no updates throughout. Don't waste your money!

This appears to be a well run contest. My script placed first in Action/Adventure, which is certainly exciting. But before that happened I received feedback that proved to me that these folks have good insight and knowledge. Not only did the judge point out several weaknesses, he/she also was educated about the rather specific and narrow genre that my story floated upon. Following the category win I got a call from a rep at Fresh Voices. Once again I was thoroughly impressed with his familiarity with my material and overall understanding of screenwriting.
In the end no amount of contest wins will make a script sell or gaurantee representation. Opening doors, in the final analysis, must still be done by the merits of the script. The industry may ultimately take a pass no matter how well you've told a story.
It remains to be seen if Fresh Voices can help my screenwriting career, but based on what I've seen thus far I have every confidence that they'll make an effort. This is a well run contest that is conducted by people with a genuine passion for film... so keep writing and rewriting!

I entered this contest recently and had a question about it so I sent them an email. I received an email back from Zoe Simmons within about 5 minutes that fully answered my question and made me feel even better about entering this contest than I already did! The people running this contest are incredibly nice and very helpful! :)

Hi
I found this competition OK. I ended up a finalist but the problem is the top 25% of entrants were also finalists.

My main criticism with this competition is too many entrants made the semi-finalist (50%) and finalist (top 25%) cut. This means there are a large number of aspiring writers (me included) that can claim to be finalists - but should the top 25% be categorized as Finalists. Sure it gives alot out there the warm fuzzies but I think really a finalist should be the top 10% or even less.
When the semi-finalists were announced, it was stated that as there were so many entries this year they had lifted the bar so the top 50% were semi-finalists. Well I'm no mathematician but this makes no sense. Regardless of whether you got 300 entries or 3000 if the percent cutoff was say top 25%, a higher number of entries for the year makes no sense to lift the bar. Actually, extra contestants would make more sense to lower the bar. Anyways I think if the contest left the semi-final cut-off to say 25% and finalist to 10%, then regardless of number of contestants etc this would be a good rule of thumb. As it was the winners were decided from the top 25% of contestants and I really think this meant there was alot more pressure on the judges in the last month. If they had culled the numbers down to a more manageable number, this would have made more sense.

My other main criticism is the vague details given on when the next announcements would be made and the long time it took to finally announce a winner - over 7 months (1 September to early april). Often details would be given, Winners announced next month etc, but no actual dates given. I think most people love knowing exact dates on when announcements will be made. Judges and organizers should be able to provide exact dates on when announcements will be made else they are failing at delivering on these important milestones in a competition

My short script, The Necromancer's Maid, was selected as a finalist for the 2014 contest. I was able to go to Kansas City for the event and hear the 6 finalist scripts read by actors. This was helpful as it was my first chance to hear anything I'd written read aloud by actors. It was equally important to hear the different approaches taken by the other writers. They screened a short film by one of the finalists -- an opportunity offered to all of us. Above all, let's hear it for support for women in films!

The finalists will be announced April 30. I agree with the comments on this site pertaining to the frustration of their website. It should be simple simon to find announcement dates and updates about their contest. I've spent WAY too much time trying to find any information on the site - what they do is send an email with the information so you... must... wait...

I came second in the contest last year and was very impressed by the level of support and the quality of the coverage reports from Writemovies.

It encouraged me to rewrite my script and polish it enough to enter again. I was delighted to win and received my prize and reports right away, without delay.

The coverage reports/feedback are the real value in this contest as the reader's produced some of the best script coverage I have ever read. That included coverage from some top rated sites/readers that cost me a small fortune. The writemovie readers are paramount to gym coaches. If you are willing to push yourself and work harder, you will get the full value of their feedback/notes.

I came second in the contest last year and was very impressed by the level of support and the quality of the coverage reports from Writemovies.

It encouraged me to rewrite my script and polish it enough to enter again. I was delighted to win and received my prize and reports right away, without delay.

The coverage reports/feedback are the real value in this contest as the reader's produced some of the best script coverage I have ever read. That included coverage from some top rated sites/readers that cost me a small fortune. The writemovie readers are paramount to gym coaches. If you are willing to push yourself and work harder, you will get the full value of their feedback/notes.

I came second in the contest last year and was very impressed by the level of support and the quality of the coverage reports from Writemovies.

It encouraged me to rewrite my script and polish it enough to enter again. I was delighted to win and received my prize and reports right away, without delay.

The coverage reports/feedback are the real value in this contest as the reader's produced some of the best script coverage I have ever read. That included coverage from some top rated sites/readers that cost me a small fortune. The writemovie readers are paramount to gym coaches. If you are willing to push yourself and work harder, you will get the full value of their feedback/notes.

I won the 2014 Screenwriting contest with my script, "Easter Island." Received a generic email (not even addressed to me) stating I could purchase a paper certificate for $15 or a trophy for $100... FOR WINNING FIRST PLACE/GRAND PRIZE!!! No money, no prizes, just more costs!
This contest is a scam. To recap, if you win their "Grand Prize" you get the opportunity to buy a paper certificate for $15... TOTAL FRAUD & B.S!

The Festival began on Sunday the 16th and the three finalists were published on the web site only today, the 18th. As a participant I haven't received by email any notification. Among the three finalists there's a son of a famous Italian director, now passed at a better life. I'm an Italian and few years ago I decided that I would have never applied at anything anymore in my country. But as you see I didn't resist. Save your money!!!!

So far, my experience has been quite positive. The only negative was that the announcement dates were all shifted back. I entered quite late, and received my notes very quickly. There was a plot summation of my ENTIRE script, which clearly showed the reader had finished it. The analysis was thoughtful, and because the reader liked the script so much, admittedly "picky." While I disagree with one of the picky points, the other is justified. I have fixed the very minor issue by adding a single line of dialogue. The notes were a full two pages long, and well thought out. I will have to see how I finish based on the high compliments in the notes such as "Production ready", "This script is in great shape", and "Very well-executed script", but to date this contest has been professional and well worth the entry fee.

I did not like this contest at all. It seems that the people that read these are college kids trying to grade you like a teacher. This isn't a final exam. I have entered contest where I would get a 9 out of 10 across the board on ALL categories. Here it was nit picked and advised I resubmit (for a fee of course). The judge also thinks my villain is the main character. The main character is introduced about page 9. I don't think he read it that far. Waste of money.

The ISA membership is a super nice touch. Truly, that alone is significant. I was thrilled to win first in the short script competition and this being the inaugural year makes it all the more exciting. Still waiting on my prize package, though.

Some of the best feedback I have ever received. They leave notes directly on your script. And I echo the formatting comment - I thought mine was fine since no one else ever commented on it. Now I know.

I've just checked and found that I didn't make the semi final cut. I don't know if I was delusional or having a manic pahse but really thought my screenplay would have gone a bit further. Making the Qtr finals it really built my hopes up and Im more depressed over missing out on the semi then earlier attempts where I got no where.

I guess this business is a subjective thing and I wish all that made the semis the best of luck

Having gotten that off my chest, I'd like to say two big criticisms of this competition. First category one you group together a half dozen genres - category 2 and 3 is drama and comedy. So if your screenplay is fantasy, horror, thriller or family you are at a distinct disadvantaqge.

Point 2 - the feedback was terrible. I had no idea when the finals, semi finals etc were being announced. Still unclear when finalists are being announced. Point for you organisers - you are all probably professionals and experts in your craft but we - the entrants - who enter your contest just see you as a disorganised. You should - from day one - have clear dates on when announcements are to be made, Note something like - sometime in March/April, Look at Page and other contests that have their $##@$ together - they will give you specific dates you can rely on

I've just checked and found that I didn't make the semi final cut. I don't know if I was delusional or having a manic pahse but really thought my screenplay would have gone a bit further. Making the Qtr finals it really built my hopes up and Im more depressed over missing out on the semi then earlier attempts where I got no where.

I guess this business is a subjective thing and I wish all that made the semis the best of luck

Having gotten that off my chest, I'd like to say two big criticisms of this competition. First category one you group together a half dozen genres - category 2 and 3 is drama and comedy. So if your screenplay is fantasy, horror, thriller or family you are at a distinct disadvantaqge.

Point 2 - the feedback was terrible. I had no idea when the finals, semi finals etc were being announced. Still unclear when finalists are being announced. Point for you organisers - you are all probably professionals and experts in your craft but we - the entrants - who enter your contest just see you as a disorganised. You should - from day one - have clear dates on when announcements are to be made, Note something like - sometime in March/April, Look at Page and other contests that have their $##@$ together - they will give you specific dates you can rely on

Very questionable feedback. It was obvious that the reader did not read the script carefully or at all. The logline was all wrong, the reader even misspelled my name. The suggestions regarding the structure showed no knowledge in a one hour TV pilot structure. The reader had some very weird suggestions that don’t even make sense. Even the compliments are doubtful.

To me, it just seemed very unprofessional. I’m 99% sure this was not a savvy reader, but a hired reader or an intern with no qualifications to give feedback that might ruin a novice writer’s script, especially when it comes to structure. It’s a shame that such inexperienced and clueless judge determines your chances at a contest. I entered this contest for the fun of it, as it’s not like the major contests that are the golden grail. But that feedback was money down the drain for sure.

Before anyone accuses me of being bitter, I should state that this was the first time ever that I didn’t have anything(!) to take from a coverage, and that the same script has received great feedback from other judges and readers. On the same week, I submitted the same script someplace else, which will remain unnamed. The reader was a well-known manager, who will also remain unnamed. The manager raved about the execution, and gave the structure a perfect score. The script has received a “Consider” grade.

Anyway, thanks to lousy work and an inexperienced judge, my contest entry was doomed along with my money. These things happen. But if you’re entering this contest, be aware of its judges. They might screw your chances and take your money while doing so. Because at least some of them seem to be inexperienced and unqualified. Enter at your own risk.

The management team at Script Pipeline is professional and courteous. Ever since the contest results were announced, they've been in constant contact and acted timely as scheduled. They have demonstrated true dedication to their stated objectives and provided great support! I'm so impressed.

No other competition has challenged me re formatting and it follows that my formatting (which I thought was OK) has improved dramatically - I now get compliments on it such as "..expert..! Many thanks Reel Writers!

Wildsound was a great experience for me. The feedback I got was excellent and nailed all the issues I was having with my script, making it a much stronger piece once I finished the edits. It was great to see the table reading they did of my script and the way the contest team really got behind my project was very affirming. Overall, I recommend this contest.

Scriptapalooza's dedication to supporting, promoting and improving screenwriters and their material in an industry with no easy "ins" makes it more than just a competition. As a contest, I found it extremely well-organized, aboveboard and professional. As a feedback source, the coverage I received was smart, helpful, timely and (sorry, mom) refreshingly unsugar-coated -- an invaluable investment on its own. There are many good reasons to enter this competition and I'm definitely grateful for all of them.

As a frequent submitter over the years and a quarter-final, semi-finalist, top-10 finalist and 3rd place winner, all I can say is that this is the best screenwriting competition there is in the entertainment writing world. Mark works for the writers, whether he's promoting the ones that place or fostering the ones still making their way to becoming placed writers. To actually have a competition that does what it says -- get your script in front of eyes that might actually make your writing dreams come true. Scriptapalooza is not only worth the cost of admission, it's a source of pride to have it on your resume.

This was my first contest as well, and did not expect to win first place. However since my entry, I never heard from them anymore. Any news at all is just outrageous. It's not correct to me. Bad contest.

I think that not getting a response is a bad thing, but I never ever had such experience with Scriptapalooza. Mark must be a very busy man but he always responded, sometimes with only two encouraging words.
What about readers? They are like spectators, fickle. Writers carry on writing; somebody will love your work.
I trust Scriptapalooza people, they are pertinent and serious about screenwriting.

Just saw the below comment and I agree totally. They nailed the feedback on my TV spec for Mad Men. Obviously they know what they are doing and it set me up for a rewrite. And they are pretty cheap in comparison too to other contests. I definitely got my money back and then some.

Wildsound provided my writing partner and I excellent feedback. The feedback indicated to us that they took great care in reading the script and really understood what we were trying to do. In addition, it was also clear that the judges involved really understood television script format and were fans of the show we were doing a spec script of. Also, they performed the script in a table read as promised and did an impressive job.

The short I entered "The Rooster Must Die!" was given scathing comments that it wasn't any good. The same short was produced in England a year later. Check it on IMDb. This contest gets my two thumbs down.

Last night, the last day to submit, I entered my script into the Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting competition.

While submitting online, by accident, I clicked on "Submit" twice and was charged twice.

As soon as I discovered this error, I called the film festival office and got Michael Wood by phone immediately. I explained what had happened. Within a couple hours he personally emailed me telling me my duplicate submission charged was voided.

I am really impressed by how fast he took care of it... even on the day after their submission deadline... when I know they must be very busy! Thank you! I'm looking forward to find out what the turn out is for their first screenwriting competition. Best of luck to all who entered.

Last night, the last day to submit, I entered my script into the Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting competition.

While submitting online, by accident, I clicked on "Submit" twice and was charged twice.

As soon as I discovered this error, I called the film festival office and got Michael Wood by phone immediately. I explained what had happened. Within a couple hours he personally emailed me telling me my duplicate submission charged was voided.

I am really impressed by how fast he took care of it... even on the day after their submission deadline... when I know they must be very busy! Thank you! I'm looking forward to find out what the turn out is for their first screenwriting competition. Best of luck to all who entered.

Last night, the last day to submit, I entered my script into the Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting competition.

While submitting online, by accident, I clicked on "Submit" twice and was charged twice.

As soon as I discovered this error, I called the film festival office and got Michael Wood by phone immediately. I explained what had happened. Within a couple hours he personally emailed me telling me my duplicate submission charged was voided.

I am really impressed by how fast he took care of it... even on the day after their submission deadline... when I know they must be very busy! Thank you! I'm looking forward to find out what the turn out is for their first screenwriting competition. Best of luck to all who entered.

Wonderful people to work with. I won a trophy for my screenplay but when I received it, it had been damaged in shipping. A quick email or two later, and some very kind words on their behalf, and a new trophy was sent. No fuss, no muss. So pleased for their professionalism.

Awesome, thanks for the clarification. There was to be an announcement on Halloween about who won and there was none. There were no posts on your Facebook page or site about winner. Am I lying about his, or did you announce winner on Halloween? You announced the winner 40+ days later.
My 3 emails to Zedfest inquiring about contest before hand were never responded to. So I have a right to post about my experience. And my experience was that I made a finalist and checked on Halloween to see who won. Nothing. I kept checking for 5 weeks. Nothing. Instead, the contest info was deleted. According to Moviebytes listing: "Script Pipeline Writers Database will provide the Top Finalists a one-year membership."
"•Scripped is offering a Lifetime PRO subscription to our Top Finalists"
So your now saying the Finalists were not promised prizes? Are you saying you DID announce on Halloween 2013? I didn't see it.
I was given 1 complimentary pass via email to the fest for entering, as I assume all were.
Tell me I'm lying and that you announced the winner on your web site on Halloween and I'll delete my comments and post an apology of how wrong I was. If I was wrong, I'll admit it no problem.

I entered WCM34 and purchased the option to for professional coverage. They offered the best service and advice that I have experienced. Specific issues with character development and execution were addressed and the criticism given was done professionally and courteously. They made me feel like they really do care about the writers who enter their contest and that they want to help us to succeed. I would highly recommend their service and contest.

I had a similar experience with my feedback - the one page feedback I found to be not encouraging but totally demoralizing with a comment such as - "Comes across as a Smurfs inspired story only not as good." Well if the reviewer had bothered to have read the script that would have realized it had nothing at all to do with the smurfs except that they're both animated family film scripts. I got this review months ago and it still really bugs me every time I read it. It indicates the reviewer did not at all review it and it came across as amateurish.

Reviewing a screenplay is a subjective exercise but it annoys me when its clear the review was poorly done. I personally think my script runs circles around the smurfs. I am still entering the same script in other competitions. Blind faith? Perhaps.
I now look at this negative feedback as one of the many obstacles a struggling screenwriter needs to get past.

This comment is to a response to the person that posted inaccurate comments about us on 1-4-2014 and is claiming we did not contact him. there's a very good reason for that YOU DID NOT WIN! someone else did that's how Contests work the winners did get notified. He did not make the cut so he is upset, I'm sorry he did not make the cut but that is how judging works. I hope he finds a contest that has the time to contact all people who only made the semifinals and let them know they lost. He is the amateur and is obviously not aware that contests only contact the winners, he did not win or place the Finalists so he does not get contacted. There are too many entries to do what he expected. In addition I personally gave him a free pass to The Film Festival and did not have to he is still unhappy, some people are ungrateful, no matter what you do for them they are not happy. No one ever promised any prizes to him and take it back that was in his imagination. Sorry but I had to rebut his comment because he is unfair and keeps posting lies about us, We are self funded we are a small Festival but gaining popularity so there a lot of people who enter our contests and we are grateful for that, and we treat people fairly and with dignity. This man could have always contacted us by email or in person when he came for free to our FILM FESTIVAL in NOV 2013 he had a ton of chances to say something to us if he had questions before he started posting erroneous comments about things he knows nothing about. I guess when you loose you're mad and you want to take vengeance, which is unproductive I would suggest to this person to keep writing and read books about technique so the outcome is the one he wants next time. also there is such a thing as being a gracious contestant and accept the loss with dignity. SINCERELY ZED FEST FILM FESTIVAL

Zed Fest regrets the technical snags that were experienced regarding the posting of the finalists and winners of our 2013 screenplay contest, and the possible misunderstanding regarding prizes promised to finalists. The winners had been duly notified and appropriate prizes and awards have been distributed. We put a lot of effort in putting together a fun and empowering festival, and enjoy a strong report with participants who wish to interact with us directly. If you are a past or potentially future participant in a Zed Fest contest please feel free to contact us at zedfest@gmail.com and we will be more than happy to help you with any concerns you may have.

The most disappointing thing about this contest is that they kept pushing back the date entrants were to receive feedback. First it was by November 1, then it was some time in December. It finally arrived -- and after reading the feedback I had great doubts my script was even read in its entirety -- about January 11/12. Yep, 2.5 months after the initial date (I wonder if you'd be able to enter the contest 2.5 months late...).

On top of that, and as I mentioned above, the "feedback" received barely mentioned the content of the script; the majority of its two pages read like a beginners' screenwriting book, focusing on improper formatting. I've worked with numerous other writers, directors, and producers, and this is the only contest that's remarked negatively on my formatting -- seriously, with Final Draft/Movie Magic it's near impossible to format improperly.

I don't think I'd be as frustrated and disappointed if the "feedback" had more to say about the content of the script. But it appears that the reader probably only read the first five pages, quickly skimmed the middle, and read the last few pages because the reader barely mentioned anything about story or character or dialogue. The reader also categorized the script in the wrong genre, which, if they had read the whole script, would've been impossible to do -- they said it was a horror, yet when I'm asked what genre the script is, I go back and forth between comedy or drama. Sure, there are some suspenseful moments, but nothing close to horror. What's funny is that I was actually praised for my creative references to "Jaws" (closer to horror than my script) that occurred throughout the script. Yeah... there's only one (maybe two if you want to stretch it) "Jaws" reference in the script. I have to think that the reader saw the one reference and, going with their misconstrued genre label, assumed there were others.

I looked back at my records and saw I'd entered this contest before, a few years ago. And the "feedback" I got this time could've been paraphrased from that first review. But before anyone starts saying that it's my fault for not learning formatting in the subsequent time: that first script has been optioned, as is, and the producers said when they first opened up the script they knew the writer was on top of his game because it was formatted perfectly. Other producers I've worked with have had similar things to say. I'm a professional writer: I'm going to make sure I do the easiest part of my job correctly, even if a recycled, cookie-cutter piece of "feedback" from an unprofessional, disorganized contest says otherwise.

Please, everyone, avoid this contest. Just from looking at the report card on here on MovieBytes, I see I'm not alone in thinking how disappointing (and frustrating) this contest is. Save your money (and time) and find a more reputable and reliable contest to enter.

This contest has always been one of my favorites and is very professional in its operation. I recently received some excellent feedback from them; it was concise and clear, unlike feedback received from OTHER services (in those cases, the reviewer often got facts and names wrong, proving that they barely skimmed it to the end).

WriteMovies Development notes were the very best I've ever gotten. The reviewer understood every facet of my script (though not always agreeing with me), and showed how professional they were in their comments, as well as fully understanding the point of my story.